A headline like, “Regional and rural small businesses outperform metropolitan-based businesses,” is sure to get my attention. This one is from Australia, and mirrors U.S. trends. In Australia: Business looks good at the Exchange Hotel, in Grenfell, Australia (population 1900).Photo (CC) by Pip Wilson. All small business monthly growth for October 2011 was 2.8%, while regional and rural […]
Rural issues come to the fore in Australia
Our friend Des Walsh from Australia sent me a great email, that I just had to share with all of you. You might not have known but we had a Federal election here on Saturday. The outcome hangs in the balance (although I don’t think there are any hanging chads), with the likelihood of a […]
Rural sourcing can replace outsourcing
Onshore Technologies office CNN Money published a feature on rural sourcing, “Forget India, outsource to Arkansas.” Dubbed “ruralsourcing,” “rural outsourcing” and “onshoring,” the practice relies on two simple premises: Smaller towns need jobs, and they offer a cheaper cost of living than urban centers. So businesses that outsource work to these areas can expect to […]
Rural entrepreneurship key to economic recovery in England
Wind turbine, Cumbria, by S John Davey This week, a monumental report on rural England’s problems and rural potential hit the media with headlines like “Rural England key to economic recovery.” Rural England is leading the way to economic recovery, thanks to high levels of entrepreneurship in the countryside, a report has revealed. Another news […]